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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25446247">there's gotta be some butterflies somewhere</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellagayhufflepunk/pseuds/hellagayhufflepunk'>hellagayhufflepunk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>would you be so kind [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff, Gen, T rating is mostly for language, au where things arent so shitty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:26:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,067</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25446247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellagayhufflepunk/pseuds/hellagayhufflepunk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If there are infinite worlds, infinite realities, and infinite timelines, then there has to be at least one where things are okay (or at least a lot less messed up). Where Rachel is alive and Jefferson isn’t. Where Nathan got the help he needed and David isn’t in the picture. Where Victoria isn’t completely cruel and where Kate didn’t try to end her life. Where Max didn’t abandon Chloe and where Chloe isn’t angry at everything. Where there are no rewind powers and no storms. Where there are no heartbreaking choices and no terrible sacrifices. Where everyone is happy and things are a lot more okay.</p>
<p>This is a look into one such reality.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>would you be so kind [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. prologue: you would find her in a polaroid picture (and she means everything to me)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is something that i wrote for a friend for her birthday a while back, and she said it would be okay if i posted it here. so i hope you guys like this as much as she did.</p>
<p>fic title is from 'Would you be so kind' by dodie</p>
<p>chapter title is from 'she' by dodie</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chloe met Max when she was six and Max was five. It was their first day of kindergarten and neither of them had anyone to play with at recess. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max- who at this point wasn’t Max but some strange girl with a sparkly headband- was sitting by herself at the lunch tables, watching other kids play. Chloe had never been one for patience or controlling her impulses. If she wanted to do something she did it. Something about Max made Chloe pause, though. For a second she just watched the girl with the sparkly headband watching the other kids. It looked the girl was taking pictures or something even though she didn’t have a camera.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi.” Chloe greeted the girl. The girl jumped. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! My name is Chloe, what’s yours?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl looked at Chloe. Her eyes were so big and pretty. Chloe noticed she also had freckles. Chloe had always wanted freckles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m- I’m Max.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe smiled. “Hi Max. Want to play together?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max smiled too. It was so bright and it made something flutter deep down in Chloe’s tummy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I like pirates.” Max said a little sheepishly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max’s smile grew impossibly wider and it wouldn’t take Chloe long to realize that that smile was her kryptonite. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s not sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but is seems fitting that the best and worst days of her life involve Max Caulfield. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The best was the day they met. The worst was the day Max left for Seattle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe the worst day should have been the day her dad died. Because that </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> awful. But she Max was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She was there and held Chloe when Chloe cried her eyes out about her dad being dead. She was there even though she had never been the best with her words but yet still trying her damnedest to help Chloe feel better. Even if ‘feeling better’ meant a half hearted choke of a laugh between sobs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Max left and Chloe was </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe knew in her heart of hearts she could live without her father </span>
  <em>
    <span>or</span>
  </em>
  <span> Max. It would hurt like hell, not having one of them in her life but as long as she had the other she knew she’d be alright. Not having </span>
  <em>
    <span>either </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them? Chloe didn’t even want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> about what that might do to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which is why is was such a relief when Max called her later that first night she had moved away. It hadn’t even been twelve hours and Chloe felt so overwhelmed by the distance between them. Leave it to Max to lighten the mood with a rant of how pretentious the Space Needle was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(To this day Chloe can still hear the type of indignant scoff only a thirteen year old could pull off as she said </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Seriously, the Space Needle isn’t that great’</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blackwell Academy was cool. The labs were cool, the teachers were cool, hell even the fucking security guards were cool. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would have been so much cooler with Max by her side. At least Chloe’s gap between her history and science class was at the same time as Max’s lunch. So they got to talk for thirty minutes every school day. Those precious minutes on the phone were nothing like the years of school lunches they spent huddled together, making sculptures out of mashed potatoes or drawing the latest adventures of Dr. Chloenstein and Super Max but they were better than nothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish you were here.” Chloe admits for the hundredth time since Max left for Seattle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“My heart doesn’t belong to science like yours does, Chloe. I’m a photographer.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘My heart belongs to you’, Chloe wanted to say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus H Christ where did that come from?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chloe pushed that thought as deep down as possible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that hippie.” She scrapes the ground with her foot, making a pattern in the dirt beneath her shoes,  “I’ve, uh, heard some rumors that Wells is gonna add a photography program.” Okay. She heard </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person talking about how it might happen. But still, Chloe was a sucker for hope. Always had been. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“That would be so awesomesauce if they did. Can you imagine how cool it would be if we went to the same school again?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe barely managed to stop herself from saying that that was pretty much the only thing Chloe thought about. Instead she said: “You’d fit right in here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Really? Is everyone there a shy, cliche geek?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Max sounds so self deprecating that Chloe literally has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from launching into a five hour speech of why Max was so much more than the girl ever gave herself credit for. No matter how many times Chloe tried to tell Max how </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> she was Max never seemed to really grasp or accept it. Chloe decided to save her speeches for another day. Now was not the time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Chloe chuckled, “Everyone here is cool and passionate about what they’re doing. Even the girls in the bitchy cliques have talent.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe heard a bell ringing in the background. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Ugh, I’m sorry, I gotta get going.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too.” Chloe lied. Lunch didn’t end for another thirty minutes- going to a fancy private school meant she got an hour long lunch while Max only got a thirty five minute lunch. “Mrs. Grant will kill me if I’m late again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please tell me you at least did the homework?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mom</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I did.” Well…. She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>going</span>
  </em>
  <span> too. It was only one worksheet and she had thirty minutes still to bullshit some answers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Good. Talk to you later, Chloe.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Talk later, Max.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rachel Amber was probably one of the coolest people at Blackwell. Steph and Mikey were great but they were… safe. Rachel was so full of fire and energy and </span>
  <em>
    <span>life</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In short, Rachel was everything Chloe needed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For once, she was the one being dragged on crazy adventures, getting into trouble instead of being the one that does the dragging. No one could come close to Max- no one could ever come close to Max- and Chloe would have swapped Rachel for Max in a heartbeat… still it was nice to have someone by her side again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if that person had a habit of running off. Sometimes Rachel would take an impulse trip to Portland or Eugene. Sometimes she would just skip school and hop on a train and only turn around when the sun was setting. Every time Rachel left it worried the hell out of Chloe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe knew she shouldn’t be worried or even surprised. After all the first day she and Rachel properly hung out Rachel told Chloe </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Don’t be surprised if one day I’m just gone.’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And this was when they ditched school and were riding in a train to who knows where)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, that doesn’t mean Chloe still can’t be afraid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s during one of Chloe’s trips to Seattle when she accepts that </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span> she is in love with Max Caulfield. Instead of, you know, just ignoring it.</span>
</p>
<p><span>It’s the third day of Chloe’s spring break of her sophomore year and the second full day she’s spent in Seattle.</span> <span> Max is still in school because of course their breaks don’t line up. Still, some time is better than no time at all.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>So Max and Chloe are working on homework together- like they did when they were kids. Papers and books are sprawled out on the kitchen table, each girl on opposite ends focusing on their own assignments. Well, Max is focused on her assignment. Chloe, as usual, is focused on Max. And Max isn’t even doing anything that spectualar. She’s just cursing out her math homework under her breath, pencil lead is smudged on her cheeks and fingertips, and her hair is slightly frazzled from the humid air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then it hits Chloe like a ton of bricks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I love this nerd</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Chloe can’t even lie to herself and say that what she feels is purely platonic. Because it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span> love with Max Caulfield.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s no denying that anymore. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(There never really was)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next few years are spent trying (and failing) to bury her feelings and pretend they don’t exist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every day feels like a game of Russian Roulette. Only, instead of bullets the killing thing is Chloe blurting out how she really feels about Max. And the risk isn’t Chloe losing her life. The risk is something much greater: the risk is losing Max. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow Chloe manages to make it to the summer of her junior year without having told Max the truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to tell her.” Rachel takes a long drag of her cigarette as if that will add weight to her words and tore her eyes off the brilliant night sky to look at Chloe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe is shivering, desperately wishing for a cigarette to warm her up but resisting the urge to smoke because she promised Max that she would quit. Instead she looked up at the sky, tracing constellations that she and Max made up over their long childhood. A childhood that feels centuries away now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She has never been sure of much. Especially ever since her dad walked out the door and never came back and her best friend in the entire world moved hundreds of miles away from home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Chloe is</span>
  <em>
    <span> absolutely</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure of two things: </span>
</p>
<ol>
<li><span>she is in love with Max Caulfield </span></li>
<li><span>and telling Max would change everything.</span></li>
</ol>
<p>
  <span>And, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Chloe has never been great with change. Hell, if she was being honest (and she found, more and more, that she was a terrible liar- especially to herself so she doesn’t even try to lie anymore) she was hardly mediocre with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But this was Max they were talking about. Max who was so pure and good and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Max</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Who was the best thing that ever happened to Chloe. That probably ever </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span> happen to Chloe. And Chloe did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to fuck that up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t.” Chloe hated how small her voice is but she can hardly find it in herself to care. Rachel was one of the few people on the planet that saw Chloe. Not as some deadbeat punk kid with too many issues to count but as an actual person with real feelings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you’re scared.” Rachel said in a quieter voice. She put out her cigarette by squashing it with her boot then leaned back against the side of Chloe’s truck. They were standing outside of Rachel’s house because Rachel was too tired to go inside and pretend to be the perfect daughter that her parents expected her to be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(That’s why the two got along so well. Neither one of them had to hide anything. Or pretend to be something they weren’t. They could just be themselves)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe scoffed. “That’s a fucking understatement.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t want things to change between you.” It was kind of unfair. How good Rachel was at playing therapist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe crossed her arms and figured if she’s a terrible liar then she should just start with the truth. “No. I don’t. I don’t want to lose her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chloe,” Rachel put a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. For the first time since they got out of the car Chloe looked at her. “The longer you wait. The worse it’s going to get.” Rachel’s eyes are so full of…. Everything. Of truth; of pain. Of some kind of wisdom that is decades beyond her seventeen years. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What-” Chloe swallowed thickly, the mere possibility of what she was about to ask makes her feel like she was going to crumble, “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If it was anyone else, Chloe thinks, they would have comforted her. This was a very tense moment and a pat on the bag or a hug would be appropriate. But Chloe doesn’t need comfort in situations like this. She needs the truth. And that’s exactly that Rachel gives her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then at least you’ll know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The words feel heavy in the cold autumn air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hours later and Chloe is still turning Rachel’s words over in her brain like they’re a cool shell she found on the beach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It doesn’t help matters that Chloe is staring at her own private Max Caulfield photo gallery that takes up an entire wall in her room. Ever since she was a little kid Chloe had been a sentimenal little shit. When it came to Max’s photos she was no different. She kept every single photo Max had ever given her. The ones not on display on her wall occupied boxes stored in the closet, under her bed, and in the middle of the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(She couldn’t think of anything more perfect than being surrounded by Max Caulfield)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(God she was such a sap)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>These pictures not only serve as a reminder of all the great times she’s had with Max but also as a reminder of all that she has to lose if she tells Max the truth and things go badly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Which, given Chloe’s track record, things going smoothly would be a bigger shock than the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Deep down- or, not really even deep down if Chloe thinks about it- she knows Rachel is right. She knows that she has to tell Max how she feels. Otherwise it’s just going to fester and fester until they really can’t ignore it and by then it might be too late. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Here’s the thing, though: if Chloe tells Max how she feels their friendship might not survive. It barely survived Max’s move to Seattle. Confessing her true feelings would only add another complicated layer to things. There was a lot Chloe was willing to lose. Max had </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> been one of those things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“God damn it.” Chloe muttered to herself, to the gods, to anyone that would hear. She rolled out of bed, shoved some clothes into her backpack, rounded up all the spare cash she could, scribbled a quick note to her mom,  and set a course for Seattle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the last four years Chloe had gone up to Seattle a bunch of times. Especially when she turned sixteen, got her license, and fixed up an ancient truck she found in the junkyard. Six hours was a long time to spend alone in the car but it was always worth it to see Max.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She got to Max’s house just before dawn. It was a saturday so Max would probably still be asleep. As Chloe pulled up to the house she realized just how bad of an idea this was. Joyce had already blown up her phone demanding an explanation- to which Chloe’s response was to turn off her phone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(No one ever said she was good at dealing with her problems)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, she was here and if she didn’t say what she had to now she probably would never have the guts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she got out of the car, walked up to the house, and took a deep breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, she knocked on the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the things she practiced saying flew out of her brain when she saw Max. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sweet, adorable Max, wearing the pajamas that she’s had since she was thirteen and a serious case of bed head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chloe?” Max rubbed sleep from her eyes. “I thought you weren’t coming for another two weeks. Is everything okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> the plan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Honesty, though, right?)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Max looked more confused than ever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe took a deep breath; ran her hand through her recently dyed blue hair. “I love you.” She repeats because, really, it’s the only thing that she’s ever been absolutely sure of. “I think I have always loved you. And you being here and me being in Arcadia… it just made me realize how much. I know this will change our friendship- if you even want to have one with me because I know you probably don’t feel the same way but I just couldn’t hold it in anymore and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe stopped talking when Max grabbed her wrists. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Slow down.” Max said in a tone that only Max could manage. Chloe was so distracted by the softness of Max’s eyes. “I-” Max bit her lip which somehow made her even more adorable than she already was, “I love you too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Recently Chloe read an article about how people’s brains can literally short circuit. It  has something to do with misfiring neurons and some kind of off balanced electricity in the body. Chloe is sure that’s what she’s experiencing because there is no way Max just said what Chloe thought she did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you, too Chloe. I- I’ve known it for awhile. I just thought that you didn’t love me. At least not in the way that I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why would you think that?” Chloe could barely believe that the girl she loved loved her </span>
  <em>
    <span>back</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(This has to be some sort of elaborate dream, right?)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because?” Max averted her gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe used her hand to gently tilt Max’s face up towards her own. “Because why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Uncertainty shined in Max’s eyes. “Because you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re so fearless and cool and smart. And I’m just… me. A shy geek with a camera.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe laughed. She couldn’t help herself. Hearing Max talk down about herself, think herself not </span>
  <em>
    <span>worthy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was almost funny given the situation. “Holy shit dude, I was about to list all the reasons why you wouldn’t love me. I’m obnoxious and loud and a stubborn ass. Not to mention hella fucked up.” Chloe bit out a nervous laugh. She was trembling and it wasn’t because of the cold morning air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” Max’s hands drifted up to Chloe’s cheeks. “Chloe.” Max’s voice is so soft yet so serious. “I do love you. I think I have always loved you. From the second you asked me to play pirates with you when we were five.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All of this has to be a dream. There’s no way this is a real thing that’s happening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Max leans up to kiss Chloe, Chloe would have said that she feels like she’s flying. However, that would be a lie. Flying couldn’t have felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>half</span>
  </em>
  <span> as good as kissing Max Caulfield. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(If this is a dream then Chloe never wants to wake up)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turns out that it wasn’t a dream. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had spent the morning making out and confessing feelings and being gross mushballs. Max had taken far too many pictures to prove to Chloe (and herself) that this was real and this was happening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe wanted to stay in this moment forever. For the first time in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span> she felt like everything was perfect. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have to go?” Max asked, leaning into Chloe for the countless kiss that day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom wants me back home. She’s probably gonna rip me a new one.” Chloe probably should care that she was going to get the mother of all lectures when she got home but just couldn’t find it in herself to. Not when she had Max. Not when she had Max as her </span>
  <em>
    <span>girlfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Joyce can be scary.” Max laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. But knowing that she has an obsession with homegoods magazines kinda takes some of her edge off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“True. I just wish you didn’t have to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too.” Chloe tucked a strand of hair behind Max’s ear. “Hopefully I can still come up in two weeks though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hopefully.” There was something left unsaid in Max’s voice. Something that Chloe immediately picked up on. After twelve years of friendship and the afternoon they just had there wasn’t much room for secrets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. We will make this work. After all, we’re Max and Chloe. We can do anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max wrapped Chloe in a tight hug. “Hell yeah we can.” She gave Chloe a long kiss goodbye. Though, it felt more like a kiss hello. “Drive safe, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will. I promise.” Chloe kissed her back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After several more kisses Chloe finally got in her car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The entire ride home Chloe kept pinching herself just to make sure it wasn’t a dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back in Arcadia Chloe was on such a high she couldn’t even think about sleep. So she headed for Rachel’s house instead of her own. It was the middle of the afternoon when Chloe rolled up the long driveway to the Amber household. By now, Chloe was acquainted enough with the Amber family to know that Rachel’s dad would be catching up on paperwork in his office downtown and her mom would be having some posh lunch with the other upper class women of Arcadia Bay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Chloe could knock on the door it swung open, Rachel on the other side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’d it go?” Rachel asked. She sounded like she already knew the answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rachel rolled her eyes, pulled Chloe inside and up to her room. “I mean,” Rachel started as she marched up the stairs, “I tell you to tell Max how you feel, you pull a me and disappear for the entire weekend with that dopey smile on your face.” They entered Rachel’s room and made themselves comfortable on Rachel’s bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Plus, you’re wearing the same clothes you were last time I saw you. So spill.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe didn’t know exactly where to start. The declaration of love? The menagerie of kisses? The promise to make it work?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Earth to Chloe!” Rachel snapped her fingers in Chloe face. “Details, please! I don’t care where you start as long as you start </span>
  <em>
    <span>somewhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” It was creepy how Rachel always seemed to know what Chloe was thinking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Chloe started somewhere. And she told Rachel everything. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> everything. There were a couple things that Chloe wanted to keep to herself, after all)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it would work out.” Rachel said with a smirk when Chloe recounted her day trip to Seattle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then why didn’t you say that before?” Chloe huffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because you’re Chloe Price.” Rachel replied, her smirk bordering on annoying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It means, that you always have to find shit out for yourself. I could tell you the sky is blue and you’d still have to look up and see for yourself.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. chapter one: people can feel like they’re on fire (and you’d never really know)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: it’s been four years since William died and Chloe is still trying to heal from that</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>title is from ‘a poem about my foot that really isn’t about my foot’ by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe Price had never been a creature of habit. She has, however, always been a creature of ritual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every year, on the anniversary of her father’s death, she had the same routine: get up, visit her father’s grave, walk along the beach, and end up at the lighthouse. It was something that took her all day. She could probably cut the time in half since she had a car now and didn’t need to walk all over town. Driving her car would mess up the routine, the ritual of it all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Chloe walked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The headstone was simple. When Chloe first saw it, all those years ago, it made her angry. Angry because it reduced her father- one of the greatest people Chloe knew- to just a few words. William deserved so much more than just </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘beloved brother, husband, and father’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking at it now… it didn’t make her angry. At least not like it used to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe never talked to her dad. Everything she wanted to say she said while he was alive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(She regrets a lot of things in her short life. Her relationship with her dad was not one of them)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lighthouse was a place that she felt belonged to her and her father. Yes, she had taken Max here and even Rachel. And yes, this place had fond memories with all three of them. It’s just that her father took her here first. Her earliest memories are riding on his shoulders as they hiked up the hill to the lighthouse. Of feeling both invincible and on top of the world with her dad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the last stop on her ritual. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat on the bench, staring out at the ocean; she pondered and thought about a lot of things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thing that she always circled back to was what her life would be like if her dad was still alive. What it would be like if Max hadn’t left for Seattle. She imagines it would be much like it was when they were kids: sleepovers that never seemed to end, her dad beating them at video games, delicious breakfasts, and days spent goofing off instead of doing homework. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Chloe tries not to dwell on it too much though. It makes her heart feel too heavy)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(She’s just glad that she still has Max. She has no idea what she would do if she lost both of them)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So instead of dwelling too much on what could have been she stares out at the calmness of the ocean and watches as the sun slowly dips below the horizon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The people closest to Chloe (ie Max, Joyce, and Rachel) knew not to text or call Chloe. It was something she made very clear to all three of them. Thankfully, it was something they respected. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They knew that Chloe just needed to be alone sometimes. That she needed to have time and space to process her thoughts and feelings. When she was ready she’d reach out to them again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now she was ready. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The phone didn’t even get to it’s second ring. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Chloe?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> There a very obvious yet enduring worriness in Max’s voice. A worriness that never really seemed to ever go away no matter how much time has passed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Max.” Chloe found herself smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey, Chloe.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>There was a sigh of relief on the other end and Chloe could hear Max’s smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s the thing about Max, Chloe thinks: she will always be there for Chloe when she needs her. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. chapter two: i’m here for tonight (and i’ll be waiting for you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: Max moves back into Arcadia Bay and into Blackwell</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title is from 'dear happy' sung by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Max (2:16 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe!!! Chloe!!! Chloe!!!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:17 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What is it?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:17 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Are you okay?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Max  (2:18 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Im better than okay!!!!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Max (2:18 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I got into Blackwell!!!!! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Max (2:19 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>:D</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:20 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course you did hippie!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:20 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And no emoji!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:20 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:20 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>does this mean you're moving back to arcadia???</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Max (2:21 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes!! I'm moving back!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>Max (2:22 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>^.^</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You (2:22 PM):</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No emoji!!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been five years since Max and Chloe had been in the same city for more than a month. And even then, that time they spent a month together over the summer was the first summer that Max spent in Seattle. Most of their trips were just weekend getaways or week long excursions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now that Max was back in Arcadia that meant they could spend all the time in the world together. Especially now they were going to the same school. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe was beyond excited. Because she had a big truck and airplane tickets were freaking expensive, Chloe was going to pick up Max and help her move into Blackwell. Plus getting to spend six hours roadtripping with her girlfriend was an added bonus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell Max that she better come to the Two Whales as soon as she can. She’s the only person that gives my waffles the appreciation they deserve.” Joyce told Chloe as the girl rounded up the last of the stuff she needed for the road trip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will do, mom. Try not to work to hard while I’m gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce adjusted her position on the couch, where she was reading a- surprise, surprise- home goods magazine- and murmured snarky a response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Drive safe.” She called out to Chloe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will do.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that Chloe left to go pick up her girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By now, the route to Seattle was as familiar as the route to her own house. Chloe put on one of her many mixtapes and jammed out while she drove over the long stretches of highway. The drive was long but it was beautiful. The Oregon and Washington coasts were beautiful which almost made all that rain worth the hassle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully it was over soon enough and she saw Max who was waiting for Chloe on the curb. Her face lit up when she saw Chloe’s truck and she waved excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, how are you- oof.” Chloe was attacked with a hug as soon as she got out of her truck. “Damn Caulfield-” She was cut off by Max kissing her hard. Not that Chloe was complaining. At all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you.” Max said when they finally broke the kiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe smiled. “I missed you too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They smiled and laughed and kissed some more. Then they loaded up Chloe’s truck, said their goodbyes to Max’s parents, and finally hit the road. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They arrived at Blackwell just as the sun was setting. Chloe was acutely aware of the click of Max’s camera behind her as she lifted a box out of the truck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Was it that photogenic?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max shook the polaroid around before putting it in her bag. “Yes. This is really good light, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yes, I know all about the golden hour. Because someone never seems to shut up about it.” Chloe teased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Be quiet. You know you love it.” Max fired back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do.” Chloe said instantly. “Now let’s stop before we get too mushy. Come on, we have a lot of shit to unpack. For one person you have a lot of stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Several hours later they got everything moved in. It probably would have taken less time but they kept interrupting themselves by taking pictures, getting lost in memories of Max’s stuff, and of course making out. Plus Max’s wall of photos took forever to arrange in a way that was satisfactory to Max. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, at around midnight, they were done. The two plopped down on Max’s bed, Max snuggled into Chloe’s side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I’m finally here. And that I get to see you every day. I feel like it isn’t real but in a good way. Does that make sense?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does.” Chloe was playing with Max’s hair. “I keep waiting to wake up. Like we’ve been apart for so long and now that we’re finally together it doesn’t feel like it’s actually happening.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But it is.” Max scooted closer to Chloe and threw an arm over Chloe’s stomach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is.” Chloe couldn't keep a stupid grin from spreading across her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night they fell asleep together; entangled in each other’s arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning they woke up in each other’s arms. Chloe can’t remember the last time she felt so rested; so at peace. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As usual she woke up before Max. She was hungry and wanted food but Max looked so damn cute when she was asleep that Chloe decided being hungry wasn’t all that terrible. So she laid there watching Max sleep (it was probably creepy how intently Chloe was watching her but Chloe couldn’t find it in herself to really care). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually Max woke up with that adorable doe-eyed expression she had on her face every single morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning sleepy head.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max shifted so she was sitting upright. As she stretched she yawned out a “What time is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Time for breakfast. I’m starving.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good call. Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Two Whales Diner was like a time capsule. In five years it had barely changed. The only thing that was noticeably different were the menu prices. But even those were still cheap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon entering the Two Whales Max was greeted with an impressively tight hug from Joyce. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you Max? It has been far too long since I’ve seen you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max smiled at Joyce. Just like the diner the woman hadn’t changed much either. “I’m doing really good. I’m excited to be back in Arcadia Bay. For once in my life I can’t wait for school to start.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nerd.” Chloe sniggered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Says you Ms. 3.5 GPA.” Max fired back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would be a 4.0 if Chloe didn’t love sneaking out to punk shows and ditching classes every so often.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe’s mouth fell open, surprised that her mom knew about her…. Excursions. To which Joyce replied, “Honey, do not forget: I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now sit down and let me make you some grub. Max I assume you’ll want one of my waffles?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Duh. They’re like fifty percent of the reason I came back here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Am I the other fifty percent?” Chloe asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Max teased, “Forty eight percent is Blackwell. You’re at about a solid two percent.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow. I’m feeling hella loved.” Chloe faked a pout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go sit down you two. I’ll bring you some coffee and grub in a minute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girls sat at their favorite booth: the one that was second to last on the right side of the diner- right by the jukebox. Chloe put on some obscure punk song that Max didn’t know but could appreciate before sitting down in the booth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, how does it feel to be back?” Chloe wondered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max looked out the window. Nothing in Arcadia Bay really looked that different. Some businesses had changed names, some roads have been repaved, and gas prices had gone up but other than that it still looked like the town Max grew up in. Yet it still felt different. Or maybe the town isn’t what changed but rather Max herself. Five years can change a person a lot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In a word? Strange.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, you should write a book.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max playfully kicked Chloe’s shin under the table. “I’m better with my camera than I am with my words.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. I’ve proofread like every essay you’ve ever written, remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not my fault that you’re literally amazing at everything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, please keep telling me how amazing I am. I love it when you feed my ego.” Chloe gave a shit eating grin and Max gave Chloe’s shins another kick. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both girls erupted into a fit of giggles interrupted only when Joyce brought out their food a moment later. As she set their food down Max noticed Joyce had a small smile on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s so nice to see you two together again. It has been too long since both of you have been back in Arcadia.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What was left unsaid hung in the air. That the last time Max had been in Arcadia was William’s funeral. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am so sorry about William.” Max blurted. “And I am so sorry about leaving.” She wasn’t sure why but she felt like she could have done </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> to save William. Which was crazy because it’s not like she could have stopped him from getting in his car and driving off. Even if she somehow </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> have done something that day it’s not like she knew what was going to happen to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce put a hand on Max’s shoulder and looked into her eyes with an intensity that Max had never seen before. “Honey… it's not your fault. No one could have predicted what was going to happen. And you moving to Seattle was out of your control. I know you would have stayed in Arcadia if you were given the choice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe nodded resolutely at her mom’s words, looking at Max to make sure she knew that Chloe didn’t blame Max for anything that happens. That still didn’t stop Max from blaming herself. Because maybe if she tried harder she could have somehow convinced her parents to stay in Arcadia. Or maybe if she would have done better in school she could have gotten into Blackwell sooner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smile on Joyce’s face turned to one of sadness. “Don’t blame yourself, alright kid? Now both of you eat your breakfasts before  they get cold.” With that she walked off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them were quiet for a minute, picking at their respective plates. Chloe broke the silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously, Max.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously what?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t blame yourself for what happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not?” Max spoke around the lump forming in her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe looks over at her mom. Joyce was smiling to herself as she wiped down a table, humming along to the jukebox. She looked… happy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because my mom blames herself.” Chloe said quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She was the one that needed a ride home from work.” Chloe shrugged and looked up at Max. “I’m not proud to admit this… but when he first died I blamed her too. I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, of course. I mean, she asked him for a ride home a hundred times before and how was she supposed to know he’d get t-boned by a semi?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max looked out the window of the diner. The view was the same as it was when she was kid. She tried to remember the last time she was at The Two Whales. All she could think about was William. How he seemed to fill up an entire booth but in a good way. The way he always asked for a Kid’s Menu just so he could color with the crayons. How he flirted with Joyce every time they came here like they were meeting for the first time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I miss him too.” Chloe said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus, can you read minds?” Max snapped her head back to Chloe</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just yours.” Chloe said with a small smirk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? And what am I thinking now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe set down her fork, put her fingertips to her temples, and closed her eyes in mock concentration. “You are thinking…. Of…. demolishing your waffle.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max giggled. “You truly are gifted.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me about it, babe.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day was pretty boring. They spent most of it at  orientation where Principal Wells gave a pretty dry speech about ‘welcoming the best and brightest to Blackwell’ and other boring shit like that. Once they got their textbooks and schedule they went back to Max’s room to enjoy the late afternoon together. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn, we don’t have any classes together.” Max said as she compared their two schedules. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well what did you expect, Caulfield?” Chloe teased. “You’re a photo groupie and I’m a lab rat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Max tacked her schedule on the wall, “I guess I was just hoping we’d have english or history together or something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Figuring that I’m literally taking all science and math classes I find that to be a little difficult.” Chloe replied. She was sprawled out on Max’s bed flipping through one of Max’s photography textbooks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know how you do it. I’m only taking algebra and one science course and even </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> seems excessive.” Satisfied with how her schedule was placed on her wall Max sat down on her bed next to Chloe, who adjusted her position so that Max could cuddle into her side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you’re also taking AP English and World History. Both of which I </span>
  <em>
    <span>suck</span>
  </em>
  <span> at.” Chloe replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How bout this,” Max traced a pattern on Chloe’s exposed collarbone, “we are both pretty amazing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe smiled, kissed Max on the forehead, and replied, “Agreed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, classes would start. Soon they’d be bogged down by the stresses of school and homework and their senior year. Right now, though, they had a moment of peace. Right now they weren’t Max Caulfield and Chloe Price: photographer extraordinaire and science prodigy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right now they were just two girls in love.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(And right now that is more than enough)</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. chapter three: memories painted with much brighter ink</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: Max’s first few weeks at Blackwell</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title is from 'when' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Blackwell Academy was essentially god tier when it came to photography. There was literally nowhere better to study. Especially since the photography teacher was one of the most famous photographers in the world: Mrs. Marie Gonzalez. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max had </span>
  <span>cyber stalked</span>
  <span> read up on Mrs. Gonzalez when Max found out she had gotten accepted into Blackwell. The woman was a relative giant- both in the art world and in the real world- in the sense that she was a towering six feet two inches tall and her work had been featured from local galleries to the MOMA. Gonzalez was born in Arcadia Bay, went to Blackwell (for fine arts), then went on to take over the photography world. After twenty years in the art world Gonzalez decided to move back to her hometown so she could head the new photography program at Blackwell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow the woman made the small photography room feel like something spectacular. As far as Max could tell there were no special touches added to the room. It was just a room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wondered if that was something that happened when you had a career like Mrs. Gonzalez has had. That you just walk into a room and suddenly everything around you becomes more spectacular due to your presence alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few kids were already milling around. Two friendly looking girls sat at a table in the far corner, two less friendly ones sat at a table opposite to them, a boy sat by himself drawing on a pad of paper, and another couple girls were standing on one end of the room talking quietly. Mrs. Gonzalez was at her desk at the front of the classroom. Her gaze shifted around the room in a way that made it look like she was taking pictures with her eyes. Max wondered what Mrs. Gonzalez saw in each of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max decided to try her luck with the two friendly looking girls. One had purple highlights and thick black bracelets. She was talking with a girl who looked like she belonged at some private all girls Catholic school not a private arts and science academy. They reminded Max of those cartoon devil-and-angel-on-your-shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t realize she was staring at them from the foot of the table until they stopped their conversation to look at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, hi.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great start Max.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I’m Max Caulfield. I’m, uh, new.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl with the purple highlights looked at Max up and down. Finally she said: “You seem weird.” From the way she said it Max could tell the girl was complimenting her. The girl gestured at the empty seat. Unsure, Max looked at Catholic School Girl girl, who nodded. With that, Max took the seat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Kate, by the way. Kate Marsh.” Catholic School Girl girl said once Max sat down. Max and Kate shook hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Talking with people had never been Max’s forte. Especially not people she just met. But it was pretty easy to talk to Kate and Alyssa. By the time class was starting they had already exchanged phone numbers and scheduled to hangout that weekend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bell rang, Mrs. Gonzalez stood up from her computer, and the class hushed. Even the two gossipy girls who looked straight out some posh teenage magazine quieted down to listen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mrs. Gonzalez was as captivating with her words as she was with her camera. Every syllable was more engaging than the next. Within ten seconds Max was on the edge of her seat, too enwrapped with the lecture to bother taking any notes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bell rang, jolting Max out of her trance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now don’t forget to read chapters one through three for next time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Half the class groaned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh hush. Half of it is pictures. Since this is, you know, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>photography </span>
  </em>
  <span>class.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A couple students, Max included, chuckled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was so nice to meet you, Max.” Kate said once she gathered her things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” Alyssa added. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See you guys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Max exited the classroom she felt a new wave of excitement run through her. She had a feeling that this year was going to be the best year yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe was waiting at Max’s locker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was like a scene out of one of those cheesy teen movies that she and Chloe always made fun of: Chloe leaning against the lockers, searching the crowd for Max. Max couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She kissed Chloe in the middle of the hallway, with a dozen kids around, not giving a single damn who was watching. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit,” Chloe exhaled once Max broke the kiss, “What was that for?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max just smiled again, hands adjusting the collar of Chloe’s denim jacket. “It’s just been a really good day.” Max moved her hands to Chloe’s hips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe looked down at Max and replied, “Yeah, it has.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being back in Arcadia Bay after five years was… strange. And that was putting it lightly. It had been over two weeks since she moved back and Max still couldn’t shake the strangeness of being back home. Between classes, hanging out with Kate and Alyssa and spending time with Chloe, Max hasn’t spent that much time alone to just… reflect on it all. Finding some quiet spot, sitting down, and just thinking about everything and nothing was one of Max’s favorite things to do. However, in Seattle it felt like there was nowhere that was quiet, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>hers.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arcadia was different. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every single place in this small fishing town felt like it was hers. Felt like </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which is why she decided to take a quiet Saturday off from homework and from hanging with Chloe to just wander around the town that had been her home since before she could remember. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Names of businesses had changed, there were more chain restaurants than Max recalled, the local mall got a facelift, some parks got tore up to make room for strip malls and some parking lots got tore up to make room for parks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The people were the same. They were still the kind of people you’d expect to find in a small town: hard working, honest, a little gruff but still kind at heart. The kind of people Max grew up with. The kind she missed while she was in Seattle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All of this change (and lack thereof made Max wonder: how much has she changed?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes, it felt like she was a completely different person than when she was when she left. Other times, it felt like she was still that nerdy thirteen year old with crooked teeth and a bad fashion sense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her day ended at the beach. Not just any beach. Her favorite beach. The one that was in sight of the lighthouse. This place had always been her second favorite spot in Arcadia.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Only the warmth and comfort of Chloe’s house could win over the beach)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they were younger and the weather was good, she and Chloe would come to the beach all the time. As little kids they were accompanied by their parents. Max and Chloe would spend hours building sandcastles, walking along the shore collecting sea shells, and playing in the shallow parts of the water. As they got older their parents trusted them to go to the beach by themselves as long as they were home before dark. Instead of sandcastles they’d bury each other in the sand. Instead of playing in the shallow water they’d dare each other to see who would go the farthest out in the ocean. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Chloe always won those dares. Max was too chicken to go beyond where her feet couldn’t touch the ground)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Many summer nights they snuck out of their respective houses, met up at the beach, and had bonfires that turned into stargazing. For hours they’d stare at the stars and make up constellations since they didn’t know enough about the real ones. More than once they got caught and got grounded but they didn’t care. Those quiet nights that they spent together before they ever realized their feelings had always been special to Max. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(If there was one thing- other than Chloe of course- that Max missed while she was in Seattle was that all that light pollution meant she couldn’t see the stars)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(That and, just like everywhere else in Seattle, the beaches were too crowded)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last time she was here was five years ago, the night before William’s funeral. Chloe had snuck out (not that it counts as sneaking out when your parents know what you’re doing) and must have spent hours by herself before texting Max where she was. Max needed an excuse to put off packing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Maybe if she didn’t pack then her parents would leave her in Arcadia and she could stay with Chloe)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(That was flawed logic at best but what is life without a little bit of hope to hold onto?)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night- like all the others spent here- felt like a million years away. Those nights felt like they didn’t even belong to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max kept looking out at the waves unsure of what she was even looking for. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. chapter four: starry eyes and galaxy minds (we’ll be dancing on the clouds tonight)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: it’s Max’s birthday and Chloe has all sorts of surprises</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title from 'freckles and constellations' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chloe had been with Max for twelve birthdays. Each year Chloe tried to think of something that was better than the last. Which was especially hard ever since Max’s Sweet Sixteen. Not only had Chloe taken a surprise weekend trip up to Seattle but she had also given Max William’s old camera. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So yeah, sixteen was a hard year to top. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Seventeen Chloe thought she did pretty okay. Another surprise trip up to Seattle and at that point she and Max had been dating for a month. So it’s safe to say that both parties got to see each other in their birthday suits)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eighteen though…. Eighteen </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be amazing. Especially since this was the first time in five years they were in the same place on Max’s birthday. For the last five years Chloe had to come up the weekend before or the weekend after.  But this year she was able to do something on the actual day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So it had to be extra special.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anddddd she only had two weeks left. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Great.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s scrolling through Amazon that Chloe gets the idea for Max’s gift. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be honest, she’s had this idea for a really long time. She’s just… been too terrified to do it. Because this gift would signal that their relationship is evolving into something beyond ‘childhood sweethearts’. This gift would mean that their relationship, just like them, is maturing. That it’s growing into something much more serious than a simple teen romance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(The more Chloe thinks about it the more she realizes that her relationship with Max had </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> been just a teen romance. It had always been something much more special than that)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe orders the gift (not from Amazon but from a specialty shop) and pays an arm and a leg for overnight shipping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she starts thinking of how exactly she’s going to give it to Max.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chloe, I’m telling you you need to add potassium to the solution. Lots and lots of it.” Warren said, basically breathing down Chloe’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>telling you you only need to add sodium” Brooke argued.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe sighed and set the beakers down with a little more force than what was necessary, because Max’s birthday was in two days and she still had no idea how she was going to give her her gift. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Both</span>
  </em>
  <span> of you are wrong. We need to add chlorine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s crazy!” Warren and Brooke exclaimed in unison.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe so. But who’s the one with an A in this class?” Chloe snapped on a new pair of latex gloves (purely for dramatic effect since none of the chemicals they were working with were dangerous) and adjusted her goggles. Then she took the bottle of chlorine and dumped about a table spoon in, stirred the mixture, and watched the solution change color. Exactly how it was supposed too. Textbook, even. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh.” Warren tried to hide his surprise. “It worked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should spend less time watching crap like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Cannibal Holocaust </span>
  </em>
  <span>and more time studying.” Chloe said with a cocky smirk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brooke nudged his arm. “You know, she does have a point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever. Don’t pretend like you don’t like my movies though, babe.” Warren replied. Chloe rolled her eyes and began cleaning up her station. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel Warren and Brooke watching her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I help you guys?” Chloe questioned, back turned to them as she continued to clean up the mess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing for Max’s birthday? Any plans?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe turned around. She wasn’t sure how exactly to answer that question. Because it’s not like she and Warren were close. Still… he was a pretty creative guy and took Brooke on all sorts of cool dates. So maybe he could help Chloe out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly? Not a fucking clue.” Chloe leaned back against the counter. “Do you have any ideas?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warren scratched his chin. “Max is a photographer right? Have you thought taking her on a nature hike or something? Oh, oh! I know that she’s a nerd too, right? There’s a drive in only sixty miles away that shows a lot of cool sci-fi movies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe took off her gloves and tossed them in the trash can. None of those ideas seemed </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not for Max’s eighteenth birthday anyways. Not for the gift she was going to give her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks. I’ll keep those in mind.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warren smiled brightly, unaware of just how unhelpful he was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(It’s not that Warren is </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There are dudes much worse than him at Blackwell. It’s just that… well, he’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>dude</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully a text from Max saved Chloe from further conversation with them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, guys. My lady beckons me.” She gave them an exaggerated bow before grabbing her bag and rushing off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night, after her study session with Max, Chloe was alone in her room. She should be focusing on finishing up her lab report for Mrs. Grant’s class. Instead she was brainstorming ideas for Max’s birthday. By ‘brainstorming’ Chloe meant she was scribbling on a piece of scratch paper she found in the depths of her backpack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Defeated, she leaned back in her chair. She stared at the piece of paper and all it’s scribbled glory. The paper itself was a flyer for a Blackwell swim mee-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait a second.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe smiled to herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She just got the </span>
  <em>
    <span>best</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea for Max’s birthday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(So what if it was slightly illegal?)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The night before Max’s birthday Chloe stayed up until midnight- as per tradition- and texted Max a happy birthday. She wanted to send a novel of all the reasons she loved Max, and all the reasons she deserved to have a good birthday and all that other mushy crap but then she wouldn’t have much to say the next night when they snuck into the pool and Choe gave Max her gift. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she just settled on a ‘happy birthday maximus’ and forced herself to wait.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The actual day of Max’s birthday passed pretty normally. Every five seconds Chloe wanted to leave class and go to Max and give her her gift. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was truly a feat of epic proportions that Chloe managed to not do that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After school, they went to the Price home, where Joyce had spent all day baking a treats from scratch as well as preparing Max’s favorite dinner: Joyce’s world famous salmon surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Took you girls long enough to get here.” Joyce called from the kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We do have this thing called ‘school’, mom.” Chloe replied, snatching a handful of cookies from the counter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh hush. And stop eating all the damn cookies! Need I remind you that it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Max’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>birthday and not yours?” Joyce turned her attention to Max. “Happy birthday Max. I can’t believe you’re growing up into a woman. It seems like just yesterday you two were playing pirates on the swingset.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Time does fly.” Max agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce nodded. “Alright, now both of you go get freshened up. Dinner will be ready soon. I hope you two are hungry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Always.” Max said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I like to hear.” Joyce smiled. “Now get going.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe gave a mock salute, Max grabbed a cookie, and Joyce rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of the two teenagers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As always, Joyce’s dinner was amazing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been over five years since Max had Joyce’s world famous salmon surprise and it showed inMax getting four helpings of the dish. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought mom gave you her recipie?” Chloe wondered, shoving bites of food into her mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She did. I just can never get it to turn out right. I must have tried making it a dozen times and I swear each time it just ends up worse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce chuckled at this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Don’t be mean!” Max gave Joyce a playful push which only made Joyce’s chuckles turn into full on laughter. Chloe couldn’t help herself. She started laughing too. Soon Max started laughing and all three of them laughed until they had tears coming out of their eyes and they couldn’t remember why they were laughing in the first place. </span>
</p>
<p> <span>(Max couldn’t remember the last time she laughed like that. The last time she felt so carefree)</span></p>
<p>
  <span>(It was a really good feeling)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just like Joyce’s dinners, her desserts were also amazing. Honestly, Max didn’t know why Joyce didn’t open her own restaurant or bakery since she was so freaking talented as both a cook and a baker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce brought out a beautiful chocolate cake, covered in sprinkles, M&amp;M’s, and with the words ‘Happy Birthday Max’ written in white icing in loopy cursive. Once the cake was in front of Max, Chloe took a lighter from her pocket and began lighting the candles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When it came time to Max a wish, Max’s only wish was that William could have been there to celebrate with them. That was the only thing that could have made this moment more perfect. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they had their fill of cake (seriously for someone so tiny Max could eat </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>) and had cleaned up, it was time for Max’s birthday surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on Caulfield. It’s time we blow this place.” Chloe said, tugging on Max’s arm and leading her towards the front door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we going?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe couldn’t hide her smirk. “You’ll see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It better not involve anything illegal!” Joyce called out from the living room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t, mom. I promise!” Chloe called back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joyce snorted, not at all believing here daughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a surprise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I get a hint?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? Cause you suck a hints?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The surprise is… going to Blackwell at night?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Correction,” Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt, “The surprise is sneaking into the Blackwell pool at night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you cereal?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” Chloe could see Max hesitating. “Look, Max. We were a part for the better part of five years. We never got to really do stereotypical stupid teenage stuff together. Sneaking into places counts as stupid teenage stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But breaking and entering?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not technically breaking and entering if the door is unlocked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe shrugged. “Skip owed me a favor. Now are you coming or what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max hesitated for a second. Then she just said, “Fuck it. You’re only young once, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boo yah Max!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The surprise actually wasn’t that hard to arrange. After Chloe figured out what she wanted to do all she had to do was call in a favor with Skip- who would be working security the night of Max’s birthday. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Skip owed Chloe a favor after she didn’t bust him for smoking weed on school property so he was willing to leave the doors to the pool unlocked as long as Chloe promised not to vandalize anything. Though he told her that getting Max to the pool would be up to her because “this job ain’t worth </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much to me”. Chloe had plenty of experience sneaking out of and into Blackwell so she wasn’t too concerned about that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Such experience came in handy when the two rolled into Blackwell, in Chloe’s ridiculously large truck, and had to make it across campus without anyone seeing them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(If being a ninja was a viable career option Chloe totally would have considered it because </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn</span>
  </em>
  <span> was she good at being sneaky)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe had been inside Blackwell’s pool a total of three times. All of which were during the mandatory PE class she had to take freshman year. Three years later and the only thing that was different were the graffiti on the walls of the locker room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made their way to the pool, found the light switch in the the lifeguard’s office, and began stripping down to their underwear. In hindsight they probably should have brought bathing suits. Chloe figured that not having them was half the fun. It added to the whole ‘spontaneous reckless teenager’ thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a second thought Chloe cannonballed into the pool. Max followed soon after. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two were messes of giggles and immature splashing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hours were spent paddling from one side of the pool to the other, playing games they haven’t since they were little kids, seeing how long they could hold their breath underwater (Max won because somehow she was able to hold her breath for four whole freaking minutes while Chloe could barely do it for one). Eventually, they got tired, so they floated on their backs looking up at the ceiling. Max wished that the ceiling had skylight so they could look up at the stars. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh well. You can’t have have everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The she looks over at Chloe- all content smiles and bright eyes- and thinks that maybe, just maybe she </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>////</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sunlight drifting through her bedroom window is what woke Chloe up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stretched out her arms to wrap around Max only to find that the other girl was not in the bed. Chloe got up and found Max on the other side of the room, sitting in the beanbag, and flipping through one of Chloe’s skater magazines. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning sleepy head.” Max said without looking up from the magazine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Last night felt like some crazy dream in all the best ways. They hadn’t done anything like that ever and it was so fun to break out of their comfort zones (and break the law a little bit). Chloe almost gave Max the promise ring as they were putting their clothes back on. Something about the moment just didn’t feel quite </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span> so she decided to wait.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, though… now felt right. The soft morning glow drifted through the windows and bathed Max in an angelic light as she read the magazine. So she got out of bed, rummaged through her jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay?” Max asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe admits that she must have looked weird, standing at the foot of her bed, with her hands behind her back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- I uh have the rest of your birthday present.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The rest?” Confused, Max tossed the magazine to the ground and stood up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe put her arms in front of her, showing the little black box, and walked over to Max. “Yeah, the rest. I’ve been thinking about getting this for a long time now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gave Max the box to Max. For a second Max just looked at it, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out what it was. Then she took the box and opened it slowly. Inside was a set of </span>
  <span>matching rings. </span>
  <span>Max’s mouth dropped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t freak out! They’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>engagement </span>
  </em>
  <span>rings and I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> proposing.” That seemed to relax Max a little. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to marry you someday. But I- this is not that. These are promise rings. And just now I’m thinking how stupid and cliche that is and I’m sor-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe was cut off by Max kissing her. Hard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the kiss could get too heated Chloe pulled away. “You- you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Max breathed out, her face breaking into a huge smile, “I like it. A lot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” Chloe let out a sigh of relief, “I was worried.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chloe rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know… I guess I thought that this would…. Scare you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Scare me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, this is a big step, right? It’s proof that we’re not little kids anymore. That we’re growing up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” Max cupped Chloe’s cheek. “I want to take this step with you.” She tucked a strand of Chloe’s hair behind her ear. “I wanna to take </span>
  <em>
    <span>every</span>
  </em>
  <span> step with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Max leaned up to kiss Chloe, “Really.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, because I really really love you. I want to take every step with you too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Every</span>
  </em>
  <span> step.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the rest of the morning showing each other just how far that love went. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. chapter five: but it was fun (in the sun where you were)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: Rachel is living it up in LA but she still misses Chloe and what could have been</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title is from  'a non love song from nashville' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rachel took pride in the fact that she knew people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not in the sense that she knew a lot of people or that she knew powerful people (though, both of those statements </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> true). Rather, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> people. She knew how they ticked, what goes on inside their heads. Which is probably why in high school she could be part of so many different groups. The theater kids, the Vortex Club, the jocks, the nerds… all of them she could fit into with ease. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most people in Rachel’s life came and went. Either because they drifted out of her life or because she drifted out of theirs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe was different. She came and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>stayed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or, more accurately, Rachel came into </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chloe’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> life and stayed. There weren’t many people that Rachel thought were worth sticking around for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Actually, Rachel could think of only one person. And her name was Chloe Price)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which makes it so much more fucked up that Rachel left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Rachel couldn’t stay at Blackwell or Arcadia Bay or even Oregon. She had to leave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>LA was everything that Rachel needed. Big, lots of people to know, full of opportunity and promise. Yet still familiar enough to not be overwhelming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, with all the excitement of the big city she couldn’t help but think of a certain girl with blue hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe was never hers, Rachel knew that. She knew from the beginning of her friendship that Chloe’s heart belongs- will </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> belong- to Max Caulfield. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel loved Chloe. To be honest, she still does. But Chloe could never love her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Initially, Rachel thought maybe she had a chance. Because Max was so far away but Rachel wasn’t. Though, it was obvious that Chloe loved Max just as much (if not more) as Rachel loved Chloe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Rachel buried her feelings as deep as she could and told herself that she was doing the right thing by not getting in between Chloe and Max.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(The right thing fucking hurts)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All her life Rachel knew she wanted to get out of Arcadia Bay. For good. Originally she planned on graduating from Blackwell before making the big move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she learned that Max Caulfield was coming back to Arcadia and Rachel knew she couldn’t stay. Chloe’s heart was big enough for both Rachel and Max but Rachel had always been a little more selfish than most and she couldn’t stand the the thought of being in  the same room as the lovebirds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few weeks shy of senior year Rachel packed her bags, said her goodbyes, and bought a bus ticket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hadn’t looked back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of all the places in LA, the Santa Monica Pier was her favorite. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a place that you could go and be surrounded by people yet still be alone in your own world. Just about the only place that Rachel feels at home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel texts Chloe at least once a week and calls her just as often. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first few months Rachel was in LA she could hardly handle sending Chloe a postcard. The thought of Chloe and Max happy and in love in Arcadia Bay together made her insides twist with ugly jealousy. She didn’t like how jealous she could get. Or how bitter. But she always did her best to control it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she may have been (may still be) jealous of what Chloe and Max have but that doesn’t mean that she wants to see Chloe unhappy. Rachel knows that her friendship with Chloe makes Chloe almost as happy as Chloe’s relationship with Max.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Chloe calls, Rachel answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Because maybe Rachel’s home had never been Arcadia or Oregon or the pier but rather a certain blue haired girl who would never be in love with her)</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. chapter six: i was brought up in a line (but i seem to walk in circles)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: Max wins the Everyday Hero contest. Only this time there isn’t a storm to interrupt her moment in the spotlight.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title from 'rainbows' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was crazy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This </span>
  </em>
  <span>was crazy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max had actually won the Everyday Heroes contest and was on her way to San Francisco. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like, she was on her way to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> art gallery that is going to have </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> artwork in it. This was a literal dream come true. The only thing that could have made it more perfect is if Chloe was here by her side. Unfortunately, the school didn’t have the budget for Max to bring a plus one so instead of having Chloe by her side Max had Mrs. Gonzalez. Which wasn’t to say that Mrs. Gonzalez wasn’t cool. It’s just that she wasn’t Chloe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to be there soon. Are you excited?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hella excited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Gonzalez chuckled. “Hella?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max’s cheeks grew a little red. “Yeah, sorry. It’s kind of an annoying slang word that my girlfriend uses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need to apologize. I know all about girlfriends and their annoying slang words. My wife is from New England and she uses ‘wicked’ pretty much every other word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max nodded, not knowing anything about New England or its slang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Though,” Mrs. Gonzalez said with a teasing tone in her voice and a mischievous smirk on her face, “you’re one to talk. In my thirty seven years of life I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that says ‘wowser’ as much as you do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Max tried to be offended, she really did, but she was too busy laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they landed they checked into their hotel then took a cab to the gallery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole ride Max stared out the window. San Francisco is amazing. It was so unlike Seattle or Arcadia Bay. Despite being only a two hour flight from Arcadia, San Francisco felt like another world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This place has always been one of my favorites.” Mrs. Gonzalez said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been all over the world. From villages with less than a dozen people to metropolises like New York City. Each place has its own energy, it’s own ‘something special’ about it. In San Francisco, everything about it seems special.” Mrs. Gonzalez looked over at Max and shrugged. “Then again, maybe I’m a little biased. I met my wife at a dive bar on Castro Street fifteen years ago.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s amazing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Mrs. Gonzales looked back out the window, “She is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zeitgeist Gallery, like the rest of San Francisco, was absolutely amazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, Max hesitated in the lobby of the building, hesitant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Mrs. Gonzalez asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just… nervous. I’ve never done anything like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first time is always the most nerve wracking. Second time a little less so. Third time is worse than the second but maybe that was just because I had a case of food poisoning.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max gave a nervous laugh. “Wait, you think I’ll be doing this again?” Max gestured to the gallery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid, you’ve got talent coming out of your ass. You’re going to be doing this again in no time. Now go, talk to people, make connections. Enjoy your minute in the spotlight. The first time only happens once.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Max took a deep breath, “Where are you going to be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that you’ll need me but I’ll be at the buffet. Go get ‘em tiger.” Mrs. Gonzalez clapped Max on the back then headed to the buffet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max was still frozen in place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thinks of Seattle, of five years apart from Chloe. She thinks of the sleepless nights spent worrying over if her and Chloe were going to last, of the arguments they’ve had because sometimes distance is just too much, days spent ignoring texts when Max wasn’t sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do. She thinks of the times she wanted to throw out her camera, stopped only when Chloe told her that she had a gift that shouldn’t be wasted. She thinks of losing William, of how she was too shocked to do anything but stare open mouthed at the cop who broke the news. She thinks of the funeral, of holding Chloe’s hand as the girl sobbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thinks of how every bad thing (and good), every choice, every action has led to here. To this moment. To Max standing in a gallery where she was featured in.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Max. After everything you’ve been through this should be the least scary thing you’ve done.” She whispers to herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a deep breath she gathers up all the courage she can and steps forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waiting at her photograph is a small crowd of people. It’s weird seeing people gawking at her photo, quietly discussing the meaning they find in it, the beauty of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She joins them. A few people asked questions about the photograph, some ask questions about herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a tap on her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, can I have your autograph?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing in front of her, in a </span>
  <span>rather dapper suit,</span>
  <span> was Chloe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max couldn’t stop the squeal that erupted from her throat. She tackled Chloe in hug, peppering her with kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, easy there, Mad Max.” Chloe laughed, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you here? When did you get here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a truck you know. Drove through the night, checked into the hotel this morning, changed into my suit and headed here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max ran her hands up and down Chloe’s arms. “When did you get this suit?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So many questions.” Chloe teased. “Steph’s uncle is a tailor and was able to get me a really good deal.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank god for Steph’s uncle.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep it in your pants, Caulfield.” Chloe stuck out her elbow for Max to loop her arm through. “Care to show me around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max looped her arm with Chloe’s. “Absolutely.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. chapter seven: but we can stay here (and laugh away the fear)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: some moments from the rest of their year at Blackwell</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title from 'intertwined' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As any senior knows, November is one of the most stressful months of the school year. That’s the month that one submits their college applications. That’s the month that their futures really begin to take shape. Where their futures suddenly feel a lot more </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> and not so far away anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max and Chloe are sitting in Chloe’s bed working on college applications on their respective laptops. Five years apart left them not wanting to go through another four years of long distance. Or any distance, really. But, logically, they knew they might have to attend different colleges since it was hard to find a school with both great photography and science programs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking about applying to Washington State.” Chloe says without looking up from her laptop. “I know they don’t have a photography program but their science program is really good and-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max leaned over and pressed a kiss to Chloe. “Hey.” She whispers, her breath tickling Chloe’s lips. “It’s okay. We both know that there’s a possibility we won’t end up at the same school. You don’t have to justify your choices to me. Whatever schools we end up, we’ll make it work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe gives a soft smile. “Yeah. We’re Max and Chloe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re always together.” Max replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even when we’re not.” They say  in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halloween had always been Chloe’s favorite holiday. Even as a little kid dressing up and getting candy from strangers beat out some old dude sneaking into her house and putting presents under the fake tree they got from a garage sale.  There was just something magical about it… as weird as that sounds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, as  Chloe got older her antics revolved less and less around trick-or-treating and more and more on things like parties and D &amp; D sessions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Yeah those two things were like the complete opposite of each other but, hey, Chloe was never one to fit into any sort of box)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halloween was the one holiday that Chloe never got to see Max during. Partly because in some cruel twist of fate it never seemed to fall on a weekend and partially it was during the time of the school year that worked seemed to pile on. So Chloe always had to celebrate it alone. Well, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Just without Max. The first few years she spent it with Mikey and Steph, in the basement of Steph’s house, playing Dungeons and Dragons. Afterwards they’d marathon scary movies until the sun came up. Then after she met Rachel, Rachel would take her to all these cool parties. One of the best was the Vortex Club Halloween Party that was hosted every year. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Max wasn’t one for big parties (or </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind of party, really). So going to a party was out. D&amp;D was a possibility. Still, it had been so long and Halloween had always been </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing that Chloe wanted to keep it that way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Maybe that was a little selfish)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Chloe couldn’t really bring herself to care too much, though)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So the night of Halloween Chloe took pretty much every scary movie she owned, a lot of her dad’s old camping gear, fifty dollars worth of junk food, and her girlfriend to American Rust. Better known as her home away from home. Chloe had taken Max here a few times since the school year started but other than that the space had gone mostly unused by them. Which was a shame, really, because this used to be her and Rachel’s safe haven. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to be that guy, Chloe, but why are we at the junkyard in the middle of the night? We’re gonna, like, get murdered or something.” Max said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe laughed. “Chillax, sistah. What do you think is going to happen? Some boogeyman is gonna come out of the woods and shoot us?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max visibly paled at the thought, stopping dead in her tracks to look around and make sure no one was around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax, this is Arcadia, remember?” Chloe put her free hand on Max’s shoulder. “Nothing ever happens here. No, we’re here because this is the </span>
  <em>
    <span>best</span>
  </em>
  <span> place to watch scary movies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The best? Really? Not in your room or in my room where we can cuddle on a nice comfy bed and have the heater going and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wi-fi</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” They entered the small shack and set down their stuff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As well as my mom or trick-or-treaters or drunk Blackwell students interrupting us every two minutes? Besides, we have plenty of blankets and we can cuddle a shit ton to keep warm.” Chloe argued while she pulled her laptop out of her bag and began setting it up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max set the lantern she was carrying on the table and got out the blankets, pillows and snacks. “I have to admit not having any interruptions sounds… nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Chloe said coyly, getting up and crossing the three steps over to Max, putting her hands on Max’s hips and drawing her in close. Max wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck and smiled. “What do you have in mind, Caulfield?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max’s response was to kiss Chloe, long and deep. It had been a few weeks since they had a proper makeout session. They’ve had a few deep kisses here and there but nothing close to a make out. They’ve both been so busy with school that there wasn’t time. However, there was time now. And they were making the most of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stumbled backwards and fumbled around, finding their way down to the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a very long time before either of them remembered that Chloe’s laptop was on and they didn’t want to completely waste the battery. Though they lasted all of twenty minutes into the movie before they started up their make out session again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Who cares about horror movies, anyway? If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Chloe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah Warren?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a bad idea. There’s no way the chemicals won’t react in a volatile way. I mean what you made is essentially a pipe bomb and-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, calm down nerd. Everything is going to be fi-”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blam!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A small fire erupted on the science lab room table taking the table- and most of Chloe’s eyebrows- with it. Brooke seems unperturbed by the unfolding of events, rolling her eyes and grabbing a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. But the damage had already been done. The smoke tripped the alarm and students were already filing out into the hallways and onto the quad. Everyone was glancing over at Chloe. Considering the soot on her clothes and her lack of eyebrows she really couldn’t blame them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should  have known you’d be the one to set off the alarm.” Max sighs when she sees Chloe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know it was me?” Chloe put her hands on her hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your lack of eyebrows, for starters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know it’s not a new look I’m trying out?” Chloe wiggled her eyebrows which just look ridiculous since they weren’t there any more to wiggle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max rolls her eyes but still laughs. “You’re impossible, you know that right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Chloe chuckles, “I’m well aware.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>_____</span>
</p><p>
  <span>March, ironically enough, had never been Chloe’s favorite month. Despite it being the month of her birthday Chloe was never one to look forward to it. For one thing, while being the month of her birthday it was also the month of one of the most annoying holidays in existence: St. Patrick’s Day. Which was basically an excuse for uncultured white people to get hammered. Another thing was that March was in a weird kind of limbo between winter and spring. It wasn’t cold enough to be sporting her favorite jacket but it wasn’t hot enough to wear her tank tops either. Senior year gave her another reason to not look forward to March: finding out the results of their college applications. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, her and Max had applied to too many schools. Some of which they realistically knew they wouldn’t go to. But, hey, it’s never a bad idea to cast a wide net. At least this way they improve their chances of getting into at least one school. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beginning in March, the letters began trickling in. Chloe and Max waited until about mid march, when they both had a sizeable collection of letters, to open them. They were in Max’s room, having just come from a lunch date at the Two Whales, letters laid out between them on Max’s bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max was staring at the letters, her body visibly tense, and her breaths very shallow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Max? You’re kinda freaking me out there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “I’m just nervous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too. Would it help if I went first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max nodded. “Yeah,” she said softly, “It would.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Chloe reached out and gave Max’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Then she grabbed one of the envelopes at random, tore it open, and scanned the first few sentences. “Well, USCust. Guess they don’t like punk lesbians with blue hair.” Chloe said as she chucked the letter haphazardly to the side.  “Let’s try another one.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One by one, Chloe repeated the process of opening her letters. Out of ten applications, she got seven acceptances. Including OSU, WSU, UCLA and UCSC. By the end, Max hugged Chloe, kissed her, and congratulated her. She looked a little less nervous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max was now staring at her own pile. There were twelve letters waiting to be opened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay if you’re not ready to do yours yet.” Chloe said after a long moment. “We can just watch movies or work on homework or something.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Max mumbled, barely audible. She cleared her throat and looked up at Chloe. “No. If I don’t do it now I don’t think I’ll ever do it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Go ahead. Whenever your ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max nodded. With shaky hands she reached for one of the letters. Slowly, she opened it. She almost couldn’t read it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening and reading the letters was a painstaking process. By the end of it, Max could barely believe it. Not only had she gotten into all the schools she applied to, a few them offered substantial scholarships.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt like she couldn’t breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Altogether, it wasn’t the worst feeling)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, Max hadn’t prepared for this scenario. All she prepared for was the worst case scenario. Where she didn’t get any acceptances. Or, worse: she only got one and it was literally as far away as possible from Chloe. This… this was an entirely new problem. One that she never thought she would have. Because now, instead of having too few options, she had too </span>
  <em>
    <span>many</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit.” it was the first thing she’s said since she started opening the letters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn.” Chloe had a smirk that was somewhere between mischievous and turned on. “My girlfriend is a fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>genius</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit.” Max repeats, a little more breathless this time. She looks over to Chloe and smiles, huge grins taking over both of their faces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re futures are wide open. And for the first time in a long time that is not a scary thought.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. epilogue: we’re not bruised (they’re just party tattoos)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>aka: the ending is the beginning</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter title from 'party tattoos' by dodie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Graduation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe kind of couldn’t believe it was happening. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That in just a few hours four years at Blackwell will come to a close. That she’ll put on a cap and gown and say goodbye to that school forever. Soon after that she’ll say goodbye to Arcadia Bay; say hello to the next chapter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There is going to be a time to stress about the next chapter later. A time to stress about college and moving away. A time to stress about leaving her childhood behind. A time to cry and anguish and maybe even regret her choices a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Sometimes endings can be good. Sometimes they can be bad)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Chloe looks over at Max, who is putting the finishing touches on her makeup in the room they spent half their childhood in and she thinks that maybe, just maybe, endings can be both)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting her diploma was the most anti-climatic thing Chloe had ever done in her life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not even really her diploma. Rather it’s just some blank piece of paper. The real thing is going to be mailed to her house. So, really, getting a blank piece of paper and an empty handshake from the principal doesn’t really feel like closure. It doesn’t feel like the </span>
  <em>
    <span>end</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then the looks out into the crowd and sees her mom and Max’s parents. How they’re smiling and waving and cheering and crying with joy and pride. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe this moment isn’t about Chloe. Or Max. Or any of the kids getting blank pieces of paper and empty handshakes. Maybe this moment is about their parents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was days like today that made Chloe miss her dad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miss her dad more than normal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every day she missed him. Every day she thought about him. Days like today, where everyone is with their parents, it makes Chloe miss him even more; it makes her miss what could have been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(What </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> have been)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because her dad </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> be here. He should be here, ruffling her hair and telling her how proud he is of her. He should be here, kicking her ass at Scrabble because for some inexplicable reason he always dominated the game.  He should be here, grilling up his famous hamburgers on that tiny little grill that neither her or her mom had the heart to get rid of. He should be </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he’s not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe lets out a sigh, scuffing her feet on the dirt patch underneath the swing. She and Max had long since outgrown the rickety thing but her dad built the whole swingset just for them. Even though it had been years since it was properly played on Chloe couldn’t bear to get rid of it. It was one of the few things left of him. One of the few reminders that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> here. That he was alive; that he cared and built things and was a person- not just some memory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Caulfields were helping her mom clean up. Chloe was watching them as they sand along to whatever was playing on the radio and laughed to a joke Ryan cracked. Max caught her eye, said something to her parents, and slid out the screen door. She sat in the swing next to Chloe and for a long time didn’t say anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember when we were kids we’d spend hours on this swing just talking about our future plans.” Max said quietly with a wistful smile on her face. “I wanted to travel the world and you wanted to be Lara Croft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong with Lara Croft? She’s a badass!” Chloe was already beginning to lose some of the sadness that had been weighing her down these last few hours. Max had the habit of doing that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Max chuckled. “I never said there was anything wrong with it. I guess… I guess I was just thinking of how far away all that seems now. How our futures are basically here. How we’re not little kids anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe turned her gaze from the stars to look over at Max. There was a look on Chloe’s face that she got whenever she had an idea. “Our futures aren’t quite ‘here’ yet. We still have two months until we have to leave for college.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you proposing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That we fulfill at least one childhood dream while still can: travel far and wide from Arcadia. Or at least as far as my truck can get us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A roadtrip?” Max sounded a bit skeptical but she was smiling all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A roadtrip.” Chloe echoed, a smirk playing on her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>////</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Life isn’t perfect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chloe learned that a long time ago when her dad left on a sunny, summer afternoon and never came back. That lesson was cemented when she learned her best friend was moving to Seattle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just because life wasn’t perfect doesn’t mean that life wasn’t good. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because, yeah, her dad died and her friend moved away and all of that sucked. But Max never truly left her, not really. Rachel never left her either. They are still a part of her life. They are still here. Even if her dad isn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Chloe is driving along the Oregon coast, Max in the passenger seat, the sun setting alongside them, Chloe realizes that she has never been more content with anything. Soon, their futures will start. College and careers and challenges of all kinds await them. For now, though, they are just Chloe and Max; for now, they are just two girls chasing the sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Life isn’t perfect. But life is good)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Even if it is a little strange)</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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